


Only Human, a Steven Universe fanfic

by LordKaiserthe1st



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 01:19:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16903386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordKaiserthe1st/pseuds/LordKaiserthe1st
Summary: It was just another day for Steven, or so it would seem.





	Only Human, a Steven Universe fanfic

**Author's Note:**

> Just to preface this, this does NOT take place in my "Rose Redemption" AU.

Steven awoke from his sleep greeted by the same familiar sounds of the morning. Ocean waves crashing against the shoreline as seagulls cawed in the breeze. The first rays of the morning sun beamed through his window as he groaned. ‘Ugh, why am I so tired?’ he thought to himself, ‘Yesterday’s mission wasn’t even that hard.’

Finally, he surrendered to the summer sun as he groggily rose to his feet. Though his vision was still blurry, he could still find his way down the stairs with ease. He slowly made his way to the bathroom mirror and brushed his teeth. Once finished, he meticulously cleaned his face with a damp washcloth. He looked over himself in the mirror, ‘looking good there, Universe!’ he thought with a smile.

He turned to leave before a thought crossed his mind, ‘whoops, almost forgot, I needed to polish my gem!’ He retrieved his washcloth, lifted his pajama shirt… only to find his gemstone absent, a bellybutton in its place.

“What!?” Steven cried out in shock, “Wha-what happened to my gem!?”

Steven scurried out of the bathroom and back to his bed, his mind trying to parse out where it could have gone. ‘Did it just… fall out?’ he asked himself, ‘Can it fall out!?’ He threw off the sheets of his bed, overturned his pillows and opened every drawer he had, paying no mind to the noise he was causing.

“Steven? What’s wrong, what are you looking for?” Asked Pearl as Steven searched under his bed.

‘What do I tell her?’ he panicked, ‘Wait, maybe she might know what happened to it.’

Nervous, Steven rose to his feet, “Pearl, you have to help me, something happened to my… gem…”

Steven gazed at Pearl as though she were a stranger. Her namesake gemstone, normally adorned on her forehead had seemingly vanished. Her pale, milky skin tone changed to that of a fleshy hue. 

“Your… what now?” Pearl asked.

“Pearl, what happened to our gemstones? I-Is this normal?”

Pearl looked completely perplexed by Steven’s question, “Steven, I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

From behind, Steven heard the sound of someone yawning, “Ugh, what is your deal with waking us up early little bro? Do you just, like, hate sleep or something?”

Steven barely recognized who she was. But quickly deduced her identity from her short, stalky build and long hair. Like Pearl, her gemstone was completely absent and her skin had also lost its original color. “Amethyst?” Steven said, “Wait, ‘little bro’?”

“It’s 8:45, hardly early.” Garnet replied bluntly. Of the three, she appeared to have changed the least, but from her equally changed skin tone and absent third eye, he knew she had as well.

“It’s early to me!” Amethyst whined. “C’mon, I’ll make breakfast.” Garnet said, the offer improving Amethyst’s mood.

Steven peaked towards the Temple. The warp pad had completely vanished, as had the doorway to the other rooms. Rocky cave walls exchanged for finished wood. In place of the Temple door stood a hallway with various doors within.

He turned to the kitchen, the others all acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “Guys, what happened to the Temple!? Where is everything!?” he cried out.

Again, the others looked at him as though he were insane, “Dude, we have no idea what you’re talking about.” Amethyst said.

“Ugh, I told her that she shouldn’t let him have all that sugar before bed…” grumbled Pearl.

“Why is everyone acting like this is normal!?” Steven hollered, “Where’s the warp pad!? Where are our gemstones!? What happened to the Temple door!? Why is nobody noticing what’s wrong here!?”

“Steven?” 

Steven recognized that voice, he turned, hardly believing who was staring back at him. There were notable differences, of course. Her characteristic pink curls appeared to yield a brunet color close to the roots of her hair, revealing their extravagant color as merely the result of it being dyed. In place of her flowing white dress, she wore much humbler attire as she stood garbed in sweatpants and a ‘Mr. Universe’ t-shirt. Despite the differences, there was no mistaking who this was; Rose Quartz, his mother.

“Steven, sweetie, I heard you yelling, is something wrong?” she said, kneeling down on one knee to meet him at eye level, or at least as best as she could, given her still impressive stature.

Steven only said nothing, the sight of seeing his mother in the flesh rendering him all but completely speechless. His silence drawing concern from Rose as she placed her hand over his forehead.

“Sweetheart, do you have a fever? Pearl, dear, could you get the thermometer from the bathroom?”

“Right away!” Pearl chirped.

Steven tried to muster a sentence, but nothing came out. He stood there, slack jawed as his mother sat before him as though this were normal. Though his body did not move, he felt his head spinning. He felt as though he were ready to collapse from the shock before being lifted off the ground and into Rose’s arms.

“I hope this doesn’t mean we can’t go the boardwalk today, I know you had something planned with your girlfriend.”

Now that was certainly something he wasn’t expecting to hear, but it definitely freed him of his stupor, “W-what!?”

Rose only giggled in response to his utter bewilderment, “Oh, sorry, ‘the girl that just so happens to be your friend’.” She sarcastically stated, a sly grin plastered on her face, “You know, Connie?”

Connie was here? Would she have an idea of what was going on? Perhaps. After all, she was already human, so it’s likely she wouldn’t have changed. If he had any hope of figuring out what was happening, she would be it. “Oh, uh, I’m okay… Mom…” ‘Gee, Steven, could you SOUND any more awkward!?’ he thought as he silently berated himself, “I just need to have some breakfast and I’ll be okay…” Steven could see that Rose looked a bit hesitant, but only briefly, “Alright, I’m going to get cleaned up for today. It would be nice to enjoy this lovely summer day.”

Carefully, Steven found a spot to beside Amethyst. As he ate, his eyes wandered throughout the room. The walls looked to be adorned with photos of Rose with the rest of his family. One at Funland where each of them could be seen wearing a ‘I rode the Thunderbird’ t-shirt. Another appeared to be at Fishstew Pizza with everyone huddled around what looked to be himself when he was just a toddler, a small birthday cake laid out before him. One looked to be a picture of him when he was younger, Steven guessed he would have been only 4 or 5 years old. It shown him sitting outside his father’s van, his feet dangling over the edge of the back as he sat beside his father while Rose sat behind them, an arm wrapped around each in a hug.

The next appeared to be of both his mother and father. Greg’s hair done in a loose ponytail as he stood in a tuxedo while his mother stood by him, garbed in her familiar dress, the star-shaped cut out markedly absent. Her swollen belly could be plainly seen as she bent down to kiss Greg’s cheek. Clearly, from what he could tell, this had to have happened when she was still pregnant with him.

From what Steven could surmise, the photos didn’t look to be fabrications. The edges frayed and the color ever so slightly faded from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. But then that only raised more questions. Where did these come from? Who made them?

Once he had gotten cleaned up and dressed, he and others prepared to depart. But as they opened the door to leave, where Steven expected to be greeted by the sight of an empty shoreline instead revealed a view overlooking almost all of Beach City. It was as though someone had taken his own home and moved it closer to the suburbs. In the distance, he could spot the lighthouse that sat upon the hill near where his home was supposed to be. From what he could gather, he couldn’t see the crumbling remains of the temple statue therein. No indication that there was anything at the bottom of the cliff.

“I’m sorry that your father had to be busy at the carwash today, sweetie.” Rose said, “But I promise we’ll have plenty of fun today.”

Despite his discomfort, Steven could still read the sincerity from her words. He still wasn’t sure how to feel around her, he felt at any moment, something was going to happen. A Homeworld Gem would spring up out of nowhere, that ‘Rose’ would reveal herself to be some illusion or dream. And yet, nothing. And the longer he waited, the more anxious he felt. 

Beach City, for the most part, seemed relatively the same. No glaring omissions or mysterious absences of people or places. Though he was curious, the glare reflected off the windows to the big donut denied him the chance to see who was inside. 

Once they had finally made it to Funland, Pearl gathered the others into a group huddle, Amethyst appearing totally disinterested as she fiddled with her phone. “Alright, does everyone have a phone to call each other if we get lost?” Pearl stated. Everyone each pulled out a cellphone in response.

Rose nodded, “Okay, we’ll meet back here in a few hours.”

“Cool, see you guys later, I’m off to raid the food stands.” Amethyst stated before quickly walking away, her gaze still fixated directly to her phone.

“Amethyst.” Rose said, stopping her in her tracks. “Ugh, what is it?” Amethyst whined.

Rose placed her hands on her hips, “Are you forgetting something?” 

Amethyst rolled her eyes and gave an exhausted sigh, “I love you, Mom…” she groaned.

“Love you too, baby!” Rose responded with a smile.

Steven maneuvered through clusters of people in his path. It seemed the hustle and bustle of summer had arrived just the same as it would normally with the swarms of tourists flooding in from parts unknown. Near edge of the bay, he could barely make out a small figure in a large sun hat passed the crowd. He meandered his way through until finally coming in arm’s reach. “Um, hello? Connie?”

In an instant Connie sprang from her spot, gripping her sunhat as it threatened to be taken away by the slightest gust of wind as she stared back at him with rose-tinted spectacles. “Hey Steven!” she exclaimed with joy. Steven fought to not face palm himself for not remembering her glasses. She had gone on for so long without them, that it was hard to imagine a time when she still needed them. But he surmised that it made sense she’d still have them here. 

“Uh, hey Connie…”

“You look a little nervous, something up?” One thing that seemed to remain the same was Connie’s uncanny perception of Steven’s feelings. “Uh, yeah, I just didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. Pearl said I may have had too much, uh, sugar…”

“I’m not surprised, you and your sister wolf down donuts like breath mints.” Connie chuckled. Even with everything around him feeling so different and eschew, he was glad there was something that remained consistent. Steven wondered if he should tell Connie what was going on, if she would even be of any help.

He wasn’t sure who else COULD help him if Connie couldn’t. He knew he at least had to try. “Connie, does the name ‘Stevonnie’ sound familiar to you?”

Connie groaned, “Oh no, did your Mom finally come up with a ship name for us?”

Thankfully, Steven’s disappointment was masked by his abrupt burst of laughter at Connie’s response. But unfortunately, it meant that he was on his own. He looked out once more towards the lighthouse. Even if the temple statue was gone, could the warp pad still be there? Maybe even the door? 

He pondered on whether he should go to explore and see for himself. To see it they would hold any answers for him. “Hey, what are you staring at?” Connie asked, breaking his concentration.

“Oh… nothing.” Steven said, trying his best to sound calm and collected. 

For the time being, Steven figured the best course of action was to play along. Over the course of the day, the two each played every game and rode every ride they were allowed on. Until now, he hadn’t truly realized how handy his powers had been. When he suggested they fuse to enter a ride neither were tall enough for, Connie simply laughed at him. And earlier, when he had tried to use shapeshifting to win a prize for her, he wound up with a cramp for his trouble. Finally, once they had finished every game and ride that caught their attention, they chose a spot to rest. This day had been relatively calm if not downright pleasant, and still he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

On the one hand, it was certainly a nice change of pace from before. No trekking through ancient gem ruins, or chasing down corrupted gem monsters. And most certainly no gems invading Earth to settle an ancient vendetta with his mother. Just a normal day with Connie where the fate of the world wasn’t at stake.

However, he still wondered what was up with everyone. What happened to the gems? Why was his mother here? Why did only he seem to remember his life as a gem? There was still a nagging thought at the back of his head that something about this didn’t feel right. That he had to do something, but just what he wasn’t sure.

“Hey, what’s up? Didn’t you have fun today?” Connie asked, Steven once again not surprised by her perception. 

“Uh, yeah, I’m alright.” He said, “I just-”

“Hold that thought.” Connie abruptly stated, “It feels like… someone’s watching us.”

Steven sprang to his feet to assume a battle stance, slightly annoyed with the reality that he could not summon his shield. Connie marched into one of several crowds of tourists before dragging Pearl out for both of them to see.

Connie tapped her foot in irritation as Pearl tried to play dumb, “Oh… Steven, Connie… seems I must have found you by-”

“Have you been following us?” Connie asked bluntly.

Pearl tapped the tips of her index fingers as she tried to formulate a proper explanation before Rose appeared behind her, “Connie, dear, I’m so sorry. I kept telling her you two would be fine.”

“You don’t know that!” Pearl blurted, “They could have been taken by strangers, or slipped and fallen off a ride, or, or…”

“Pearl…” Rose gently placed her hands on Pearl’s shoulders, “Breathe… life is full of risks. That’s what they need to learn. Let them have a little fun. Let’s please not do what we did last time…”

Pearl huffed, “I was making sure Steven was conducting himself during their date!”

Steven could see Connie only become more agitated as Pearl and Rose bickered. “Ugh! Steven, your family is so suffocating!” Connie cried before grabbing his arm and storm off.

They finally stopped upon reaching the entrance to Funland. Connie’s frustration appeared to finally subside. “Hey, I didn’t mean to totally lose it back there…” she said sheepishly.

“No, it’s okay. I get how that can be pretty overwhelming.”

“Well, at least your mom is looking out for you. Someone’s got to keep them in line.” Connie joked.

“Yeah, right…” Steven halfheartedly replied as he pondered on her choice of words. 

“Well… my dad should be here any moment. So I guess I’ll see you later…” Connie stated before giving him a peck on his cheek. Steven wanted to say something in response, but felt far too flustered to properly form any words before she left.

Pearl had thankfully seemed to simmer down as they returned home, quietly apologizing for her actions. Steven only half listened as the subject among them turned to plans for dinner. He chuckled to himself at the notion. As gems, he felt he almost always needed to actively corral them to come join him for a family meal. Pearl especially had always dodged his efforts with the excuse that she simply didn’t like to eat. He wondered now if that same excuse would preserver despite the obvious changes. 

Unknown to him was that Amethyst for the entire trek back had been trailing behind the others alongside Garnet, who had been helping her to her feet. She clutched her stomach and moaned in pain until finally reaching home where she then promptly collapsed onto the couch.

The sight of seeing her in turmoil had certainly caught Steven by surprise, “Oh my gosh! Amethyst, are you okay?”

“She’ll be fine, Steven, she’s only facing the consequences of binge eating too much fried food…” Garnet calmly reassured him.

“Of course you saw this coming… typical Garnet….” Amethyst groaned, her attempts to sound snarky lost in sound of her stomach gurgling.

“It doesn’t take foresight to know your poor diet will come back to negatively affect you.” Garnet retorted.

Steven couldn’t help but find the sight a little strange. Although it wasn’t unheard of for Amethyst to find herself suffering from the negative consequences from her insatiable appetite, it was certainly rare. If anything, he was the one to suffer from these human limitations around the gems. They were the ones that had to help teach him to be more like a gem, to better understand what it meant, even beyond just his powers.

It was almost adorably quaint the idea that now they were as human as him. Or, more accurately, as human as he liked to be. He turned towards the kitchen to see Rose and Pearl, his mother apparently on the phone to order pizza for everyone. There seemed to be something about the others that he hadn’t noticed earlier. Something he never previously thought to look for. 

They seemed just… at ease. In hindsight, it wasn’t terribly surprising. From the way the others always spoke of her, he knew they cared deeply for Rose. Deep down, he himself had been curious what it would be like to have her in his life. The thought of his existence coming at the cost of another had always made him deeply uncomfortable. In the back of his mind, Steven had thought more than once how much happier the others would have been with Rose than they would with him. 

He wasn’t quite sure how to reconcile these thoughts with his new surroundings. The ever creeping sense of unease now feeling almost suffocating. Once the pizza had arrived, he quickly found a spot at the foot of his bed to eat in solace. However, it seemed his efforts to seclude himself did not go unnoticed. He heard the sound of heavy footsteps approach. 

“Steven, is it alright if I sit next to you?” Rose said, already finding a spot beside him. “Hm? Oh… sure…”Steven responded, too lost in thought to form a proper response.

“Amethyst wasn’t feeling too well, Garnet and Pearl weren’t hungry either, so I hope you don’t mind that I just sort of got pizza just for us.” 

“Oh, that’s okay. Thanks for getting my favorite by the way, but how did you know?” Though he still wasn’t sure with how to feel about her presence, he reasoned that he could at least still be polite.

Rose grinned, “It’s my favorite too. I used to eat it all the time when I was pregnant with you.” 

“As in she’d wolf down a whole pie when she was pregnant with ya!” Amethyst blurted from the couch below. Steven could see her comment made Rose’s cheeks tint slightly red with embarrassment. “Well… I needed to for my baby…” she retorted timidly.

Steven tried his best to suppress a giggle from the exchange. Although Steven still felt conflicted about his new surroundings. He still didn’t seem to be in any danger. Everyone he knew, though they were different, seemed happy. With the day finally drawing to a close, Steven washed up and prepared for bed. Though now his gem was absent, it still felt as though something were still missing to his routine now that he could skip such a step. While he burrowed under his sheets, Rose took a spot beside him on his bed, “Steven, you seemed a little on edge to today, is something the matter?”

Steven wondered what he should tell her. He thought about what to say, if she could be of any help if he explained why he felt so conflicted. Rose reached out to embrace him into a warm hug seemingly in an effort to make him feel more comfortable in her presence. He had been comforted by the gems before, but this one was different. Even with all he had learned about her, the lies, the secrets, the questionable choices she had made before his time Steven still wondered how different his life would have been if she were there. 

This person, whether she was his mother or not, was how he imagined she would have been. He had recalled a similar experience in the past when he used her room. But this… from what he could tell, she was real, or at least, more real than the idealized facsimile he faced before.

“Steven, I know that this can be a very… tumultuous point in your life right now. When I was your age, I struggled with trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t always make the best decisions” Steven certainly understood what she had meant with that sentiment, even if what she was speaking of likely wasn’t quite the same as what he was thinking.

“…But I want you to know I am so very proud of the young man you’re growing up to be. And know that whatever you chose to be in the future, we’ll all be right beside you.”

Steven smiled “…Thanks, Mom…” Even if she didn’t know what he was thinking or even fully realized what he was going through, Steven couldn’t help but feel reinvigorated by her words. What they lacked in context, they more than made up for in sincerity. It was what he had always wanted to hear from her. That he was his own person, not Rose, not Pink Diamond, but Steven. And that being Steven and not having everything figured out wasn’t bad, it just meant he had room to grow.

“Okay, I think I’ve kept you up long enough.” Rose said with a smile, “Get some sleep now, I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.” After giving Steven a kiss on his forehead, Rose departed to her room. Steven curled up under his sheets and relaxed as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Steven’s mind felt as though it were blur. That the world around him had become enshrouded in a thick miasma, leaving him with no way to traverse his way out. Over the horizon, he could see a light pierce through the cloud cover and illuminate lone hill. There, he saw his family call to him, his mother beckoning for him to come join them. But as he reached the top of the hill, he found her absent, rose pedals laying where she stood before being carried off in a gust of wind. 

The light dispersed. The others stood with their backs turned to him. “Did I do something wrong?” Steven asked. No one spoke, Pearl looked over her shoulder with a glare that sent a sent a chill up his spine. The hill soon regressed as the Earth seemed set to swallow him whole.

Steven hit the ground with a thump, the sudden impact knocking the wind out of him. While he struggled to regain his footing he saw that he was surrounded by the people of Beach City. Each one staring him down. “So you’re just going leave, then? Let us clean up after your mess?” One said, their face lost in the crowd.

Another shuffled through the mob to face him. This one Steven had recognized as Kofi, the owner of Fishstew Pizza, “I was right! All you and your friends do is break everything and let others deal with it!”

Confused, Steven tried to respond, “No, no. It’s not like that, I wouldn’t leave you like that.”

“What about my son?” Steven recognized that voice all too well now. He turned to meet eyes Mrs. Barriga, Lars’ mother. He felt himself wither and shrink under her glare. “You told them about him and his friends. They knew to take them because of you!”

“I didn’t know they’d do that!” Steven pleaded.

“You knew they didn’t care if we got caught up in your little feud with them! He DIED because of you!”

Tears ran down Steven cheeks as he tried to fight against the lump that formed in his throat, “I’m sorry…”

“Is that all you have left to give me? A half-hearted apology!? Will that bring my son back!?” More voice sprang from the crowd, “Can you believe this kid?”

“Must get it from his mother.”

“I swear he looks more like her by the day.”

“What you guys talking about….” Steven asked in bewilderment. Below, Steven saw the surface he stood upon appeared to be reflective. As he looked down, a figure with hot pink skin and light pink hair stared back at him, their eyes possessed diamond-shaped pupils with pink irises. Through these changes, Steven recognized the figure as himself. The sight causing him to shriek in horror, “NO!”

Outside, a flash of lightning startled Steven from his rest. Amid the sound of heavy rainfall striking against the roof, his mind screamed that this was wrong, that he couldn’t stay. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew this wasn’t were he belonged.

“Steven?” Rose said, making her way up the stairs, “Sweetheart, are you alright?”

She reached out to give him a hug before he jumped out of his bed and rushed out the door. “Steven!” Rose cried out. His bare feet striking rough pavement as he made his way towards the shore, where the Temple stood. Or at least, where it was supposed to be.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar van pull up beside him. “Whoa, Steven, what the heck are you doing out here in the rain?” Greg said as he pulled out of the driver’s seat. Steven said nothing, ignoring his father’s question as he continued his trek towards the beach.

He knew they would be right behind him, he couldn’t afford to lose ground. Part of him desperately wanted to be wrong. He would take all the scolding and lectures necessary if it would make this real. But until then, until he could accept that all of this was indeed real, he had to be certain.

As he turned the corner to face the Cliffside, his suspicions were confirmed. Though the Temple statue was entirely absent, as was the warp pad, the door to the inner rooms remained. As he ran for the door, he could hear behind him the brakes of his father’s van screech.

“Steven, stop!” Rose shouted, her voice echoing against the cave walls, “Please, Steven, did I do something wrong? Did something happen?” she panicked, sounding as though she were on the verge of tears. “Please, sweetie, I’m your mother, if there was anyone you could talk to about what you’re going through, it’s me.” 

The desperation in her tone yanked at Steven’s heart. Already, he could feel his sense of self-doubt return. He wanted to let her know, in case she was real, that this wasn’t her fault. She had been nothing less than the mother he always wanted, and the least he could do was express his gratitude for her kindness.

Maybe… No, he knew he had to push on. He fought the pain in his chest that kept him from inching ever closer towards the door. “Why do you have to make this so hard for me!?” Steven hollered, startling Rose and Greg. Steven had to fight to swallow the lump in his throat. He would never want to make someone he loved feel like this.

Steven wiped his eyes, “Mom… where I’m going… if I’m not crazy. I won’t be able to tell you any other way. So I want you to know that I love you.”

Tears welled in Rose eyes, “I love you too, baby. Please, come back to us.”

Steven looked to her, to Greg, and finally the door. He tried as hard as he could to fight back the flood of tears that clouded his eyes, “Goodbye, Mom…”

As he opened the Temple door, he could hear his mother’s cries of protest become distorted as he entered. “Steven, no!”

For a moment, all he could see was white, his ears ringing before finally his senses could recuperate. As his eyesight finally returned, he was greeted by the sight of Pearl, her gemstone restored to its proper place.

“Oh, Steven, thank goodness you’re okay!” she cried, “What were you thinking just going into an abandoned Homeworld ship alone!?”

Steven looked around, his new surrounding looked to be the dilapidated remains of a Homeworld ship partially overtaken by nature. Through the vines and moss that caked the walls, button and switched flickered, the geometric design of the room lighting up like a light bulb. Steven didn’t know what to say to her. Among the menagerie of emotions that welled up within him were relief and joy, but grief as well. Although it seemed he was free, the reality of what he lost finally hit him and he could no longer hold it in, as tears streamed down his cheeks, “Pearl…”

Finally, she took notice of his distress passed her constant fussing, “Steven?” Steven clung to Pearl as tightly as he could, the whirlwinds of emotions finally spilling out as he broke down in Pearl’s arms. Pearl said nothing, and simply continued to hold him in the hopes it brought him some measure of comfort.

Steven hardly spoke afterwards, spending most his time alone. The other gems would occasionally try to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to stick. After two days, they started to panic. Finally, out of desperation, they reached out to Connie in the hopes that she could help him. By the time she arrived, he remained seated to bed, looking out through the window without even acknowledging her.

“Steven?”

Silence. She tried to find a spot to sit next to him, “Steven, the others told me something happened to you. What’s going on?”

Still nothing. He didn’t know what to tell her, if anything. Would she even understand? But she was determined, she wasn’t giving up on him this easily. She grabbed Steven by the collar of his shirt, startling him out his trance, “Steven, please talk to me!”

The look he gave her, she could tell right away that whatever happened to him, it really shook him to his core. “I didn’t want to give it up.” Steven whimpered, “It all felt so real, Connie, and I wanted so desperately to believe it was.” Connie placed and arm over his shoulder as she listened intently to Steven, “Tell me what you saw…”


End file.
